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Versailles (Municipality, Yvelines, France)

Last modified: 2003-07-05 by ivan sache
Keywords: yvelines | versailles | roaster: double-headed | fleur-de-lys: 3 (yellow) |
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[Versailles]by Pascal Vagnat

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Description of the flag

The municipal flag of Versailles is divided horizontally white over blue in a ratio of about 1:3, it is defaced with the arms of the town, namely a shield with three three gold fleurs de lis on a blue field in the base and a double-headed cock in natural colours on a white field in the chief. The shield is crowned with a mural crown composed of alternating towers and fleurs de lis.

Vincent Morley, 9 October 1999

The colours of the flag are of course those of the coat of arms. This coat of arms is dating back to the Revolution. The three fleurs de lys or on azure reminds that Versailles was a Royal city in the past. The actual design of the coat of arms is by the French heraldist Robert Louis.

Pascal Vagnat, 11 October 1999

The coat of arms of Versailles was adopted in September 1789. The double-headed roaster issuant symbolizes the burgeoning freedom. Fleurs-de-lys were logically added in chief since Louis XVI was still King of France when the arms were created. The coat of arms was painted on the flag used by the National Guards in Versailles.

Source: GASO

Ivan Sache, 24 April 2001

There are in fact two slightly different versions of the municipal flag:

  • the large one, hoisted in front of the city hall, has no black border betweem the shield and the main field. However, the brain is able to reconstruct the shield border probably because it expects to 'see' a shield (and you need to look carefully to 'blur' your brain and see there is no border).
  • the small one, hoisted in various places in the city, has a rather thick and not so aesthetical black border as on the image above.

Ivan Sache, 21 October 1999